FALL RIVER — An East Providence, R.I., man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and firearm charges stemming from the fatal Jan. 5 shooting of David Rodriguez outside the Ship’s Cove apartment building.

William Tate, 34, was ordered held without bail following his arraignment in Fall River Superior Court. He is scheduled to return to court on March 6 for a pretrial conference.

On Jan. 31, a Bristol County grand jury indicted Tate on one count of murder, carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm.

According to police interviews with multiple witnesses, including relatives of Tate and Rodriguez, the fatal weekend encounter stemmed from Rodriguez, 26, being upset that Tate was trying to start a relationship with his younger sister. Tate had also dated Rodriguez’s current girlfriend, and Rodriguez may have believed Tate was also trying to rekindle that relationship, according to witness statements.

Meanwhile, Tate told his relatives that Rodriguez had threatened him. Tate told them that he was in his vehicle, outside the Ship’s Cove apartments, when Rodriguez came running out of the building toward him. Tate said he believed he had been set up since Rodriguez’s sister had just texted him to say that she would meet him outside, according to court documents.

A few minutes before the fatal shooting, the Ship’s Cove’s video surveillance system shows Rodriguez arguing with a man, identified as Tate, inside the building’s first-floor laundry room. Both men were within inches of each other’s faces, and were having a “heated” conversation, according to police reports.

At least five witnesses said they heard two to four gunshots, but none allegedly saw Tate squeeze the trigger. The murder weapon has not been recovered. Tate told a Rhode Island State Police trooper that he threw the gun off the Braga Bridge while he was driving home from Fall River, according to court documents.

Police said that when Tate learned he was being charged with murder, he responded, “He died?” Tate, according to police, then said, “I’m such an idiot” and “I just lost my life.”

Fall River police detectives identified Tate as a possible suspect because Ship’s Cove’s video surveillance system has a license plate reader that recorded the suspect vehicle’s plate. The black Chevy Impala was registered to Tate’s mother in Pawtucket, R.I., according to court documents.

Tate’s driver’s license photo matched the description of the man who was seen arguing with Rodriguez in the surveillance video, as well as the man who drove away from the scene moments after Rodriguez was shot. Relatives of Tate and Rodriguez also identified Tate as the man in the surveillance footage, according to police reports.

Page 2 of 2 - On Wednesday, Tate’s attorney, Jack M. Atwood, filed motions seeking funds to hire a private investigator and experts to examine the cellphones belonging to Tate and the victim’s sister. A judge approved those motions, but took no action on a defense request for $2,500 to hire an audio-video expert to analyze the Ship’s Cove security camera footage.

Tate has been held without bail since his Jan. 7 arraignment in Fall River District Court.